Repost: Near Fatal Decision
by ClydeandRani4ever
Summary: One of the kids are hurt due to the Doctor's oldest enemy. Rated M for swearing, violence, and character injury.
1. Chapter 1

_**Sarah Jane Adventures: Near Fatal Decision**_

_**Time Frame: Fifth Season**_

_**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended and I make no profit from the following story. The Sarah Jane Adventures, Doctor Who, and Torchwood are owned by the BBC**_

…

"Girl, you shouldn't be doing this alone," one of the girls at school said to Rani. "If Mr. Williams knew you were working on this story he'd take it away from you and tackle it himself or he would insist on partnering with you on it."

"Lisa, it's just an article on alleged steroid abuse," Rani replied. "And I'm not going to tell him until I have something concrete to go on instead of just hearsay."

"Whatever but I still think you're taking an unnecessary risk," Lisa said and walked away as she headed for her next class.

Rani shrugged and continued to go over the notes of what she had so far. Sky sat down next to her.

"What did Lisa mean when she said unnecessary risk?" Sky asked her older friend.

"She thinks that a story I'm working on right now for the school paper is dangerous," Rani replied.

"Well is it dangerous?" Sky questioned.

"Only if I'm not careful, and even then it's probably not as dangerous as Lisa is making it out to be she tends to exaggerate." Rani wrote some more notes down in her notepad.

"Maybe my mum should help you," Sky suggested.

Rani smiled and shook her head.

"What?" Sky inquired.

"Sky, Sarah Jane is one of the top journalists in her field. I'm sure she has better things to do than to help out with a high school article. Besides she's very busy right now."

"She's never too busy to keep her kids out of danger," Sky reminded her.

"Sky, you and Luke are not in danger," Rani retorted.

"You know what I mean, Rani. You, Clyde, and Maria are her kids also."

"I know, but I'm not in danger, Sky, don't pay attention to Lisa she'll just worry you half to death." Rani finished updating her notes.

"At least take Clyde with you when you do the field work on this article," Sky pleaded.

"Clyde's busy with work these days when he's not playing football or helping us out with what we do," Rani said the last part about the aliens.

"Oh please," Sky rolled her eyes heavenward and then looked Rani in the eye. "Clyde would move Heaven and Earth to keep you safe. He's in love with you."

"And I'm in love with him," Rani rose to her feet and started walking home. "But I'm not going to worry him when there's nothing to worry about."

Sky sighed. "If things start to look bad will you please tell Clyde or my mum, so they can make sure that no one hurts you?"

"I will, Sky, don't worry," Rani assured her. _Note to self, slap Lisa upside the head the next time you see her for worrying Sky like this, _she kept the thought to herself and walked home with her younger friend.

Gita met them outside. "Sky, you're staying with us for a couple of hours. Your mum had to go interview someone and they were only available to do the interview this afternoon."

"Ok," Sky replied and went inside the Chandra home with Rani and Gita. Rani and Sky helped Gita get tea ready while they waited for Haresh to get home from work.

"Lisa Stanley called me before you two got home," Gita said while she prepared the main dish. "Rani, are you working on a dangerous article?"

"It's not dangerous," Rani said. "Not with the way I'll handle it. Lisa's just making a mountain out of a mole hill."

"What's the article about?" Gita asked.

"About half a page long so far," Rani quipped.

"Don't be cheeky," Gita stifled back a laugh. "Tell me."

Rani sighed. "There are rumors going around that some of the athletes at school are using steroids to enhance their performance. I'm just trying to see if it's true or not, and if it is I'll get proof and submit the article to Mr. Williams."

"And you'll be careful while you're gathering this proof?" Gita pried.

Rani nodded. "I promise."

"That's all I ask," Gita said as Haresh walked in.

"Gathering proof for what?" Haresh asked.

Gita brought him up to speed.

"You can go ahead and kill that article," Haresh insisted. "I'll call the police and let them investigate and handle it."

"But, dad, an article like this will look very good on my Uni applications," Rani argued.

Haresh shook his head. "I don't want you working on anything where drugs might be involved. Do you even know if it's true? Do you even know who all is involved? Anytime drugs are involved there's a chance of very powerful and dangerous criminals being involved."

"Haresh, darling, she'll be careful. Rani won't take any unnecessary risks. This is our daughter we're talking about." Gita had him test taste the dish she was preparing.

"Very good," he smiled and then kissed Gita. "I'm only trying to keep our daughter out of harms way."

"Thank you," she kissed him back. "No, you're making assumptions just like Lisa Stanley. Besides if this rumor is true the kids that are involved will more likely be willing to talk to another kid instead of some undercover cop pretending to be a kid."

Haresh thought it over and then said to his daughter. "Ok, go ahead, but don't do any field work alone. If you get a lead to follow, one of us goes with you. If your mum and I aren't home you get Clyde or Sarah Jane to go with you."

Rani had begun to protest thinking her father was overreacting but knew she wouldn't get out of her house again unless she agreed. "Ok, dad," she lied. Truth was there was no way she would wait around for someone to go with her if a lead came up. She knew how to take care of herself and she wasn't going to let a good lead slip away just because there might be a little danger involved. _If I can help save the world from aliens on a near weekly basis I can surely defend myself against drug dealers and drug users. Besides, Sarah Jane is never afraid to do field work alone, and she always lands on her feet,_ she concluded.

The next day at Park Vale Comprehensive she managed to talk to a few kids who were able to give her some very important information.

"Are you sure the exchange will take place tonight?" Rani tried to clarify the lead.

"I'm pretty sure," one of the kids who had witnessed some of the steroid use told her. "I'll call you later with the location and time."

"Ok, thank you, Matthew," Rani said and gave him her mobile phone number.

Once she walked away Matthew's smile quickly turned into a glare. He called someone using his mobile.

"She fell for it, sir," Matthew told the person.

"Good, and the person who has given her the information she has on us so far?" Alexander Kramer inquired.

"She won't tell me who it was," Matthew informed Alexander.

"Oh she'll be telling me," Alexander boasted as he continued to silently plot.

Later that evening Matthew phoned Rani and gave her the time and location of the meeting. Her parents were out that night having dinner and a movie. Sky and Sarah Jane went to visit Luke at Oxford and were going to bring him home to Ealing for Winter Break. Clyde was on his way to work. Thus, Rani went alone to the meeting place.

…

"Hey, Sky, are you OK?" Luke asked as they rode in his car back to Ealing. Sarah Jane was behind them in her car.

"I guess," Sky answered.

"What do you mean you guess? Out with it little sis," Luke insisted as he kept his eyes on the road and also an ear on his sister.

"I think Rani has bitten off more than she can chew," Sky said and then brought him up to speed.

Luke mulled over her words and had also begun to worry. "Does mum know about this?"

"No, I promised Rani I wouldn't worry her about it. She's been busy with work," Sky told him.

"She's not busy with work right now," Luke said and phoned his mum.

"What's up?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Mum, can we pull over at the café that's coming up. We need to talk," Luke said.

"But, Luke, our house is five minutes away," Sarah Jane reminded him.

"It's really important and it can't wait," Luke stressed.

"Ok," Sarah Jane said and seconds later the three of them were parked in the café's parking lot and were talking by Luke's car.

Luke told his mum what Sky had told him.

"Mum, I don't like this," he said when he was finished.

"Oh believe me I don't either. Rani, doesn't have nearly enough experience to take on a story like this not on her own anyway. Why wasn't I told? If I hadn't of been able to talk her out of doing the story I could've helped her with it," Sarah Jane was livid as she tried to reach Rani on her mobile.

Rani answered on her way to the location. "Hi, Sarah Jane, I can't really talk right now."

"Tough," Sarah Jane replied. "I know about the story now where are you?"

"Sarah Jane, it's OK I got this besides you're busy with your own articles." Rani glanced at her watch as she hoped she wouldn't be late.

"No, where are you?" Sarah Jane demanded.

"Sarah Jane, I have to follow a lead," Rani replied.

"And they can wait a minute, now where are you?" Sarah Jane stood her ground.

"I'm already there," Rani said and gave her the location once she arrived at the meeting place.

"Are there people around?" Sarah Jane asked as she wrote down the location.

Rani was about to answer but let out an ear piercing scream instead and then the line went dead.

"Rani!" Sarah Jane shouted.

"Mum?" Luke worried. "What happened?"

She gave Luke the location, dialed 9-9-9 and then got her in a car and sped toward the location.

Luke and Sky got in his car and followed his mum.

"When we get there stay in the car," Luke ordered his sister. "We don't know yet what we'll find when we get there."

Sky nodded as she worried about Rani.

…

Rani was lying on the ground trying to get to her feet but couldn't at the moment. The object that Alexander had used to strike her in the head with had been too powerful.

Alexander knelt down beside her as he browsed through the notepad she had brought with her. "If you don't want to get worse," he said as he smashed her cell phone. "I suggest you give me your source."

"Never," Rani growled at him.

He punched her in the face a few times. "What was that?"

She let out a scream from the pain. "I said never."

"Rani, come on just tell him. Things will go a lot easier for you if you do," Matthew advised.

"Go to hell," she glared at Matthew for his betrayal.

Alexander hit her in the head again with the heavy and powerful object. He then took out a knife and stabbed her with it driving it deep into her side. "If you don't want to die a slow and painful death tonight you better start talking," he hissed in her ear.

Suddenly the sounds of screeching tires and slamming car doors were heard. Also, sirens started to fill the night air.

"Get away from her! Leave her alone!" Sarah Jane shouted as she aimed her sonic lipstick at Alexander and fired.

Matthew and Alexander quickly fled the scene in Alexander's car, Alexander dropped Rani's notepad as they fled. Sarah Jane used her sonic lipstick which took out their tires and the engine. Thus the two thugs fled on foot.

Sarah Jane almost went after them but then she remembered why she was there in the first place. "Rani," she worriedly called out and then rushed to and knelt at her side.

"It was a setup," Rani said as she winced in pain. "Obviously," she then cried out from the pain.

Sarah Jane frantically checked her over while tears welled in her eyes. "Rest assured they will not get away with it, and you're going to be fine."

Luke ran back to his car and grabbed as many clean towels as he could he then returned to his mum and Rani.

"Luke, wait what's going on?!" Sky shouted, got out of the car, and then followed him.

Luke's eyes welled with tears when he noticed the stab wound, the head wounds, and the bleeding from his mate's other facial injuries. He and his mum quickly used the towels as they attempted to get the bleeding under control.

"Ok, Rani, who do I have to kill?" Luke quipped trying to keep his tears from falling. He had also been trying to get her mind off of the pain.

"Luke," Rani chided.

"Hey, you don't have a big brother do that so it's up to Clyde and me," Luke gently told her as he tended to the stab wound and his mum tended to the head wounds and other injuries.

Rani tried to laugh but it came out as a scream instead.

Sky hugged her, "Sh, it's OK, you're going to be OK."

"Sky, what are you doing here? Go home, I don't want you to see me like this," Rani said starting to sound out of it.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sky said as her tears of worry and fear fell. "Don't you go anywhere either."

"I won't, honey," Rani said as she had begun to lose consciousness.

"Rani," Sarah Jane looked into her eyes and her worry increased when she noticed that her young friend was starting to pass out. "Come on look at me, keep your eyes open. Besides you have a lot of explaining to do. Why didn't you tell me about the article?"

"You were busy," Rani answered.

"For the record, don't ever let that stop you from telling me anything ever again," Sarah Jane lectured.

"Ok," Rani started to drift off.

"Wait, I'm not finished yet," Sarah Jane said. _Oh please let this work. She's lost too much blood. She has to stay awake. _"Rani, you're very brilliant at everything you do, but you are not ready to take on an article this serious and dangerous at least not yet. You still need those journalism lessons from me."

"Yeah no kidding," Rani replied. She also tried to say something else but it came out garbled.

"Rani?" Sky looked up from hugging her.

"Rani, can you hear me?" Sarah Jane's tears threatened to fall when she no longer had seen recognition in Rani's eyes. "Rani," she called out.

Rani's head tilted as her eyes closed to the world around her.

"No, no, no, no, no," Sarah Jane's tears began to fall as she and Sky tried to bring their good friend around.

Luke started crying as well.

The police and paramedics arrived at that point. The police took statements while the paramedics tended to Rani.

Sarah Jane spotted something lying on the ground and picked it up. She recognized Rani's notepad right away and also recognized the handwriting as she began to read through it. _This story isn't going to go unfinished and I will get to the bottom of this,_ she fumed as she watched the medics working on Rani.

Luke and Sky hugged her as they watched the medics as well. She hugged them back.

…

"Hey, Langer, you have a phone call," his boss told him.

"I thought you didn't like us taking calls while we're on the clock," Clyde pointed out. "You don't even let me turn on my mobile while I'm in here." He then got a good look at the older man. "What?"

"Clyde, it's an emergency," his boss told him. "Your mate Luke is on the phone."

Clyde quickly took the call. "Luke, what's going on? Is it my mum?"

"No, Clyde, your mum is fine, it's Rani," Luke replied.

Clyde looked like and felt like he had just been punched in the gut. "Luke, stop playing. If Rani put you up to this tell her she's is so not funny right now."

Luke wiped some escaping tears from his eyes. "Rani can't talk right now, mate."

"Why not?" Clyde asked.

"Clyde, she's badly hurt," Luke answered and then told him the rest.

Guilt washed over Clyde and nearly consumed him at that point as he remembered the phone conversation he had with Rani just before he arrived at work that evening.

"_Please skip work and come with me," Rani had pleaded with him. "You know just in case it is a setup."_

"_Rani, I'd love to but I really can't. What about Sarah Jane or your parents?"_

"_Sarah Jane and Sky are at Oxford visiting Luke and bringing him home for winter break, remember? My parents are out on a date."_

"_A date? Seriously?" Clyde chuckled._

"_Yes a date, now come on wouldn't you'd rather come with me and protect me tonight. We can have our own private date afterwards."_

"_That sounds very tempting, but I can't miss work tonight, Rani, I'm sorry. Why don't you call Matthew back and tell him that you can't show up tonight," Clyde suggested._

"_I can't do that," Rani explained why she couldn't._

"_Rani, I really don't like the idea of you going alone," Clyde worried._

"_So come with me," Rani tried again._

"_I can't." He arrived at work. "I have to go now. I love you and please stay home."_

"_I love you too, but I can't. I'll stop by the shop on the way back from checking on the lead," she said and then had hung up with him._

His mind returned to the present.

"I'll be right there," Clyde's voice choked up as tears of fear, guilt, and worry welled in his eyes.

"Clyde, do you need a ride to the hospital?" his boss asked him.

"Thank you but I'll walk it's not that far," Clyde said as he clocked out. "I don't know when I'll be back."

"It's OK, lad, take as much time as you need," his boss said.

Clyde thanked him and then left for the hospital.

Sarah Jane got a look at him once he arrived and wondered why there was guilt in his eyes and on his face. She decided to ask about that later and hugged him instead.

He hugged her back. "How's Rani?" he asked his voice hoarse from crying.

"We don't know yet," she said through her own tears. "She's still being tended to."

"I'm sorry, I should've been with her tonight," Clyde said through his tears.

"Clyde, you didn't know," Luke reasoned.

"Yes I did," Clyde confessed. "But I was more concerned with missing work when I should have been with Rani instead," he then told them about the phone conversation.

Sky let loose on him at that point as she punched and kicked him.

"She called you, you could've been there in time to protect her, and you went to work instead!" Sky raged. "If Rani dies I'll never forgive you, Clyde!"

"Sky, stop it," Luke pulled her away from his best mate. "It's not Clyde's fault, Rani shouldn't have gone alone, but it's not her fault either. The only people to blame are the ones who set her up in the first place."

Sky got loose from Luke's grip, glared at Clyde, and then walked away.

Sarah Jane sighed. "You two stay here," she said and went after her daughter.

"Sparky's right it is my fault," Clyde said to Luke. "If I had been there…"

"Clyde, they probably would've waited for another time to strike out at her. Those men obviously want to kill that story she's working on," Luke pointed out.

"Are Matthew and the other guy in jail?" Clyde inquired.

"They got away, the police are still looking for them and Rani is being guarded by the police until they're in jail." Luke put a hand on Clyde's left shoulder. "Rani's going to be all right."

"What happened to my baby?" The boys heard a voice behind them. They both turned around and had seen Gita and Haresh standing there.

"Answer me," Gita spoke again. "Who hurt my Rani?"

Luke got her sitting and as gently as he could he told her what had happened.

"She promised me she wouldn't do any field work alone," Haresh said in a stunned and devastated tone. "Please tell me that her injuries are minor enough for me to ground her, and just give a good talking to."

Clyde turned away unable to face Rani's father.

"Luke, how bad are her injuries?" Gita inquired as tears welled in her eyes.

Luke's face clouded over. "I'm not a doctor; I'm not sure."

"Luke, please tell us," Haresh pleaded with him.

Luke told them everything which caused Gita's tears to fall and for Haresh's eyes to well with tears.

Haresh sat with his wife and hugged her while his tears began to fall, both feared that they would lose their little girl.

Sarah Jane and Sky returned a few minutes later.

Sky hugged Clyde. "I'm sorry; I know how much you love her. I shouldn't have blamed you."

Clyde hugged her back. "It's OK, Sparky."

"Why would she blame you?" Haresh inquired through his tears.

Clyde sighed and looked at the bottom of his shoes. "I let Rani down tonight," he said and told them the rest.

"Clyde, did you hit Rani in the head?" Haresh questioned.

"No," Clyde replied.

"Did you punch her in the face or stab her?" Haresh then asked.

"Color that under never," Clyde stated.

"Then stop blaming yourself," Gita said through her tears. "Rani should have stayed home when you told her that you couldn't come along. And the thugs who hurt her should've never laid a hand on her."

"Mr. and Mrs. Chandra," Dr. Jason Adams walked into the waiting room.

"That's us," Gita said. "How's my daughter?"

"Not good I'm afraid, we have to operate to repair damage to her abdomen caused by the knife wound and she sustained massive brain trauma," Jason replied.

"How massive is the brain trauma?" Haresh asked. "And how bad is the damage to her abdomen?"

"Her abdomen was cut up badly from the stabbing we can repair it but it'll will be at least three months before it completely heals," he paused before continuing. "Her skull is fractured in three places, her brain is swelling, and it's in danger of hemorrhaging. Her brain is also very badly bruised and there might be brain damage as well. We'll know more once we're able to get the brain swelling to go down. We'll need to operate to put pins possibly plates in to mend the fractures and to stop the brain swelling."

Rani's loved ones let his words sink in as all of them wished that they were just having a bad dream and that they would wake up and she'd be OK again.

"Is she awake yet?" Clyde was the first one to speak.

The doctor shook his head. "She's in a coma, and if she weren't in one already we'd probably have to induce a coma due to the nature of the brain trauma. She wouldn't be able to handle the pain otherwise even with pain medication. Once she's out of surgery that will change but for right now I know it sounds weird but it's not good if she wakes up before then."

"You're right it does sound weird," Gita replied as more tears fell from her eyes. "But after surgery she'll come out of the coma right?"

"That's what we're hoping for," Jason said and once he got the consent for surgery he and the neurosurgeon rushed Rani to emergency surgery.

One hour later Alexander Kramer walked into his study.

"It's done," he said to a figure that had their back turned to him. "The girl is badly injured and will most likely die, and you were right Ms. Smith's sonic lipstick packs a punch."

"Her death is not important to me," the figure spoke. "Let Rani Chandra be. It's Sarah Jane that I'm after. Now that her young friend is out of commission for probably a long while, Sarah Jane will want to make sure that the story Rani started to work on is finished. She'll want to get to the bottom of this, and once she does she'll fall right into our hands, and the Doctor will not be far behind." He laughed evilly as he turned around to face Alexander. "And then the Doctor will regret the day that he ever met me," the Master boasted.

…

_-to be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

Lisa Stanley walked into Alexander's study. "How did I do?" she smirked at the two men. Matthew and Alexander had found out shortly after attacking Rani that Lisa was the source and was on their side the whole time.

"Splendidly," the Master grinned at her. "You were perfect in your role as Rani Chandra's source, and Matthew you were brilliant with the way you got her to trust you and were able to set her up like you did."

"Thank you, sir, but I have a question. Why did you target her? Wouldn't Luke Smith or Sky Smith be the most logical choice?" Matthew inquired.

"That would have been too obvious. Sarah Jane would figure out quicker that we were really after her so we could trap the Doctor, and what fun would that be?"

All of them roared with laughter.

…

Rani survived surgery but remained in a coma; another surgery was scheduled to repair some of the brain damage once her condition had stabilized more.

"She is at the point where it's safe to wake up," Jason told her loved ones. "But try to keep the tone positive in her room. We're not sure of how much a coma patient can hear."

Haresh and Gita visited with her first.

Gita kissed her and gently hugged her. "You're going to be all right, darling, don't you worry about a thing. I love you," she said and continued to talk to her.

Haresh gazed at his comatose daughter while tears welled in his eyes. "You come back to us, love, everything will be all right I promise." He kissed her and then kept talking to her hoping that his words would bring her back.

While the kids were visiting Rani, Sarah Jane went over Rani's notes again and was about to phone Mr. Smith when Captain Jack Harkness sat next to her and took the notepad away.

"Sarah Jane, you continuing the article is a very bad idea," Jack warned. "We need to talk."

"How do you know about the article? And what are you doing here?" Sarah Jane was more than a little stunned.

"Like I said we need to talk," he said.

They went to a private room in the hospital.

"The Doctor contacted me because he figured I can get to you quicker than he can. Alexander Kramer and Matthew Stewart aren't the only ones responsible for Rani being critically wounded right now," Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Sarah Jane questioned.

"The Master is behind everything," he said and brought her up to speed. He also had her listen to a recording that a friend of the Doctor had made of the Master's conversation with Alexander, Matthew, and Lisa. "The Doctor will handle the Master. Mickey and I will be helping him."

"The Master has sunk to a new low," Sarah Jane was finally able to speak again. "There are other methods he could have used to get the Doctor here. He could've sought out the Doctor or he could have just taken me. He didn't have to arrange for Rani to get hurt. He's caused so much pain for her and for those of us who love her."

Jack put his right hand over her right hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He then gazed into her eyes. "She's going to be all right, and the Master he won't win."

Her eyes welled with tears of worry and anger. "I'm counting on that," she said. "Hey, how did a friend of the Doctor manage to get this recorded without the Master knowing?"

"Let's just say that she's very good at what she does," Jack replied. "I have to go now but you are being guarded and the Master won't have a chance to get to you or to cause anymore grief."

"Thank you, Jack, but we both know that when it comes to the Master all bets are off," Sarah Jane replied.

He hugged her; she hugged him back and then he left to meet up with Mickey and the Doctor. Sarah Jane headed for ICU and found Clyde at Rani's bedside talking to her. Luke and Sky had left to get a bite to eat.

"I'm so sorry, Rani, I put money over you and that will never happen again I swear. Just please come back to me." He kissed her and gently stroked her face. "I love you more than anything in this world."

Sarah Jane saddened and angered more after hearing the guilt in his words. She sat down next to him in a different chair. She then whispered in his ear so the medical staff couldn't hear.

Clyde's face clouded with anger as Sarah Jane told him what Jack had told her.

"Are you serious?" Clyde demanded.

Sarah Jane nodded.

"I want to help the Doctor, Mickey, and Jack," Clyde insisted.

Sarah Jane shook her head. "It's much too dangerous.

"This bastard is responsible for the girl I love being badly hurt when he meets me he'll know what danger really is," Clyde said as he gazed at Rani.

"And trust me he will answer for everything," Sarah Jane said. "The Doctor will not take any of this lightly."

Clyde looked over at Sarah Jane and found her gazing worriedly at Rani. "You want to take him on as well," he stated the obvious.

"Of course I do, but it won't change anything," Sarah Jane reasoned and gently hugged Rani. She then kissed her. "You come back to us, Rani; we'll get you through any obstacles you have to face when you do wake up. We really love you and need you," she said and continued to talk to her.

…

The Eleventh Doctor met up with Mickey, Jack, and the person who had made the recording.

"How did you pull it off without the Master catching you?" The Doctor asked.

"I have my ways," she said and pulled off the mask she had used when she recorded the conversation with the Master and his cohorts. "What took you so long to get here?" River Song inquired as she kissed him.

"I got here as fast as I could," he kissed her back and then turned to Jack and Mickey. "Captain, were you able to stop Sarah Jane in time?"

"I was," Jack assured him.

"Good, and how's Rani?" he asked next.

"She's still in a coma, but she's holding her own," Jack kept a positive tone.

"Of course she is, Rani's a fighter and she'll pull through." The Doctor tried to keep the sadness out of his tone. "Now where is my old nemesis?" he asked about the Master.

"In a place that's heavily guarded," Mickey said and brought out the blueprints of Alexander Kramer's house AKA the Master's hideout.

Two hours later Clyde had already told Luke and Sky what Sarah Jane had told him when Sarah Jane found the two boys plotting in one of the vending machine rooms.

"Hi, mum, where's Sky?" Luke tried to cover up.

"She's with Rani right now, what's up?" Sarah Jane asked in a suspicious tone.

"Nothing," Luke fibbed.

"We were just talking," Clyde also lied.

Sarah Jane had been about to call them on it when a transmission came through on the telly in the vending machine room.

"Don't worry Sarah Jane Smith, Clyde Langer, and Luke Smith. You three are the only humans that will be able to hear and see this broadcast," the Master said and looked Sarah Jane over. "It's been a long time, Sarah Jane," he said having met her before years ago when four of the five original doctors were thrown together to save the world and the fourth Doctor.

Sarah Jane glared at the Master. "You always were evil, Master," she remembered from the Doctor's stories of him and from the time she had met him. "But this time you crossed the line."

"What ever are you talking about?" he feigned ignorance.

"I know what you did to Rani, and I know why. I know what you have planned," she snapped at him.

"Yes, but do you know everything," he smirked and then stepped out of the way revealing Maria and Alan Jackson.

"Oh no," Sarah Jane fretted.

"Maria!" Luke shouted. "You let them go now!" he then shouted at the Master.

"Oh I don't think so, not unless your mum shows up to exchange herself for these two," the Master ordered.

"Don't do it Sarah Jane!" Maria yelled. "Dad and I will get out of this somehow. Stay away from here."

"Master, if you dare harm them," Sarah Jane angered.

"I'll only harm them if the Doctor shows up before you do," the Master goaded her hoping that he would get a rise out of her.

Alan glared at him. "If you lay one hand on my daughter there won't be a rock you can hide under. That I assure you."

"Don't be so sure that you can protect her, and don't be sure that Sarah Jane can protect her. Sarah Jane and Rani's parents weren't able to protect her."

Clyde glared at the Master. "How bout I come with Sarah Jane and put a serious hurting on you when I get there?"

"Wait a minute, what happened to Rani?" Maria inquired.

"Suddenly Mickey Smith appeared behind Alan and Maria." He placed an arm around each of them and then teleported the Jacksons out of there.

"No!" this time the Master angered.

The Doctor walked in with River Song and Jack. River and Jack secured the Master's cohorts while the Doctor approached the Master.

"Ok, Master, you got my attention," the Doctor said. "Now what do you want with me?"

"Nothing much I just want you dead for good is all," the Master locked eyes with him.

"And you couldn't leave my friends out of it? You had to mess with the children as well?"

"They're just lowly humans," the Master said. "And they mean nothing to me. I don't share the love that you seem to have for the human race and the planet earth."

Sarah Jane, Clyde, and Luke watched the exchange wishing they could be there to help the Doctor defeat the Master. All three of them hoped and prayed that Jack and the lady that was there, River Song, would be able to help the Doctor.

Mickey appeared seconds later with the Jacksons. "No time to talk, I have to get back," he said and then teleported himself out of there.

Luke hugged Maria refusing to let go, "are you OK? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm OK, Luke, he didn't hurt me or my dad." She hugged him back and then hugged Sarah Jane and Clyde.

"What's going on? Why are we in a hospital?" Alan asked after greeting Sarah Jane and the boys.

"We'll tell you soon," Sarah Jane promised and returned to watching the showdown between the Doctor and the Master. Maria and Alan were able to see it as well since they knew about the Doctor and everything.

…

Sky had been talking to Rani about anything and everything she could think of to bring her friend around. However, so far nothing had been working and she had started to become frightened. "You promised me that everything would be OK that Lisa was just overreacting. Rani, nothing is OK right now." She started to vent but then stopped herself. _Dr. Adams said to keep our voices positive. Meanwhile I'm positively losing my mind. What if she dies?_ Sky fretted. "I'm sorry I know I'm not supposed to say negative stuff around you right now. Just please come back, Rani, OK." She kissed her and stayed there and watched over her for awhile until she fell asleep in a chair by her bedside.

…

"And you will die today," the Master said and activated a device he had recently created.

The Doctor counteracted the device with one of his own and they fought each other neither of them willing to give up the fight. Moments later they both collapsed to the ground.

River Song walked over and knelt next to the Master. "Trying to cause more comas, sweetie? Not on my watch. I do believe that the Judoon will know how to contain you."

"Foolish woman, no one can contain me," the Master bragged.

"Don't even think that it's OK to talk to my wife that way," the Doctor said and then placed his device on full power. He then used it on a distracted Master. The device had been powerful enough to send the Master to a secluded cell under the custody of the Shadow Proclamation. It took him awhile to catch his breath again but once he had he glanced up and saw that Sarah Jane, Alan, and most of the kids were on the computer monitor in the room. "Don't worry, Sarah Jane, Alan, Maria, Luke, Clyde," the Doctor stated. "He'll no longer be a problem."

Sarah Jane sighed in relief that one of her oldest and dearest friends was still in one piece. "Thank you, Doctor, but we still have a problem. Some of it will be repairable with surgery but not all of it. There's brain damage and she's still in a coma."

River Song showed the Doctor a vial and a syringe. "I have it covered, darling. Well the brain damage at least."

"Sarah Jane, we have a brain damage healing vaccine and we'll be right there," the Doctor said and turned off the monitor.

"Wait a minute, who is in a coma?" Maria questioned.

"Rani is," Clyde sounded very sad.

"What? But she's just a kid," Alan objected to the notion of one the children being hurt that badly.

"Exactly," Sarah Jane replied.

He hugged her and tried to comfort her; she hugged him back.

Maria hugged Clyde, "Clyde, she's going to pull through. Rani would never leave you."

He hugged her back. "I'm holding you to that, Maria."

Fifteen minutes later the Doctor, Jack, River Song, and Mickey arrived at the hospital. They had to drop off Lisa, Matthew, and Alexander off at the police station first otherwise they would have been at the hospital sooner.

Mickey and Jack conversed with the guards while the Doctor and River Song had snuck inside Rani's ICU room to administer the vaccine only to find Rani's parents in there.

Haresh eyed them suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"It's OK I'm Dr. John Smith," the Doctor greeted him and showed him his blank card.

Haresh looked it over and what he saw where credentials saying that the Doctor was Dr. John Smith.

"I just need to administer medication into your daughter's IV," the Doctor told him.

"You will do nothing of the sort until Dr. Adams says that you can," Haresh thought he was protecting Rani.

"Mr. Chandra, it's OK," River Song approached him. "I know you're worried about your daughter and that you and your wife have been through a lot since last night, but this medication will help her not hurt her."

"What kind of medication is it?" Gita inquired while she gazed worriedly at her comatose daughter.

"It will heal her brain damage so she won't need further surgery and she won't need rehabilitation," the Doctor answered.

"You have two seconds to get out of here," Haresh angered thinking that the Doctor and River Song were a threat.

Sarah Jane walked into the room.

"Sarah Jane, I need you," the Doctor said and brought her up to speed.

"Haresh, Gita, he's telling the truth, please believe me," Sarah Jane pleaded with them.

"But how is that possible. I don't know much about the medical field but a brain damage healing vaccine sounds very far fetched," Haresh said.

"I know it does, but I would never let anyone inject anything into the children that would hurt them," Sarah Jane stood her ground.

"Haresh, it will increase the chances of her coming out of the coma," Gita said and then looked at the Doctor. "Am I right?"

"I'm not sure I'm not a medical doctor, but more than likely yes," he answered.

"OK, go ahead but if I find out that you put anything in there to harm her it will be your head," Haresh said as he gazed protectively at his daughter.

"Understood," the Doctor gave him an odd look and then injected the vaccine. "But rest assured I would never do anything to harm Rani, to harm any of the children. They're my friends."

The medication healed the brain damage; however, Rani remained in the coma. Two days later Clyde and Maria decided to visit one of the Master's cohorts.

"So you're the source that she was trying to protect," Clyde glared at Lisa as he visited her in jail.

"Can I help it if Rani was stupid enough to buy my innocent act?" Lisa chided.

"She's not stupid, and her heart was in the right place. She just wasted her trust and protection on the wrong person," Clyde defended the girl he loved.

"Oh cry me a river," Lisa sarcastically replied.

"You are skating on very thin ice right now," Maria snapped at her. "We're not here for an apology, we're not here for your remorse, and we're not here to make you feel guilty. Because if you were capable of any of that then you would've warned Rani that it was a setup or you never would've approached her in the first place."

"Who are you?" Lisa questioned.

"Maria Jackson, I moved from Ealing to America probably one year before you moved here." Maria sat next to Clyde.

"Then why do you care? You don't know Rani and you don't know me."

"Ever heard of video chat? Ever heard of E-Mail? I do to know Rani sort of," Maria said. "And I really don't appreciate what you did to her. Furthermore, you're lucky that I'm not a violent person otherwise you'd be on the ground by now in pain."

"Alexander is the one that beat her up not me," Lisa said. "Go fuss him out."

"No you're not, but you might as well have been. In fact you're worse than Alexander and Matthew because you're the one that betrayed her." Maria said.

"So did Matthew," Lisa replied.

"Shut up, I am talking now," Maria growled. "Rani didn't know that they were going to hurt her anyway if she revealed her source. She took everything that they dished out to protect you."

"And I care because?" Lisa chided.

"Oh I just want you to know the reasons why you will die soon," Maria replied.

"But you contradict yourself," Lisa belittled her. "I thought you weren't a violent person."

"I'm not and maybe I won't kill you it all depends." Maria smirked at her.

"It depends on what?"

"On what Rani wants when she comes out of the coma. She might want me to leave you alone or she might want me to beat the living daylights out of you." Maria got up to leave. "Think on that for a bit you heartless bitch."

"I won't be stopping Maria, not after what you did to the girl I love." Clyde rose from his seat as well and then the two of them left Lisa there to ponder their words.

Moments later they stepped outside and headed back to the hospital.

"You know Rani will say not to touch her right?" Clyde pointed out.

"Yeah, but Lisa doesn't have to know that," Maria stated. "Let her live in fear."

Clyde laughed but then his face clouded over as he was hit with another wave of sadness and worry.

Maria took his left hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she held it. "She's going to recover and come back to you."

"That's what everybody keeps telling me." His eyes welled with tears. "But what if it doesn't happen? What if I have lost her forever?"

"You haven't, it's just taking longer than we hoped for her to come around, but, Clyde, we might be in for the long haul here. It takes some people longer to come out of a coma," Maria said. "No, two brain injuries are alike."

"But the Doctor healed her brain damage," he reminded her.

"She's still hurt Clyde," Maria pointed out. "And unfortunately no one has created a coma healing vaccine yet."

"Yeah well they need to get on it, there are a lot of people that need it," Clyde said.

Twenty minutes later they walked into the hospital and met up with Luke and Sky in the waiting room.

"Is Dr. Adams still trying to talk sense to the group that's in charge of allowing medical testing on new vaccines?" Clyde inquired.

Luke nodded. "They just can't grasp the fact that the medication healed Rani's brain damage."

"If they don't come to their senses so many people will be denied the medication and will suffer for it," Sky saddened. "It's not fair. They can at least test it."

"They're just being over cautious, Sparky," Clyde told her.

Luke kissed Maria and put his right arm around her.

"Where have you two been?" Luke questioned.

"We went to see a mutual enemy," Maria told him after she kissed him back. "How's Rani then?"

Luke grinned. "She's doing much better, she's not fully awake yet but she's slowly starting to come out of the coma."

"What?" Clyde was momentarily stunned.

"Yeah," Sky nodded. "She's uttering a few words every now and then but she's not making sense yet."

A smile spread across Clyde's face as he quickly made his way to Rani's ICU room.

He kissed her once he reached her and gazed at her. "I knew you'd come back to me. You're getting better, Rani, you're going to be OK," he said as tears of relief fell from his eyes. He hugged her and then kissed her again. Clyde had then spent the next few hours at her side talking to her, and moving out of the way when others wanted to come in and talk to her. He had spent more than the next few hours he barely left her room unless it was to eat, sleep, shower, or to check in with his Mum. He also called work to let them know that he wouldn't be in and he had skipped school so he could stay at his girl's bed side.

This had gone on for a few days, and Clyde was in there reading Rani's favorite novel to her. He had finished reading a few chapters when he had heard Rani talking. It wasn't like before when she had uttered words that didn't make sense. She sounded alert this time when he heard her speak his name.

"Clyde," Rani looked at him.

He quickly put the novel away and ran his fingers through her hair. "Rani, are you really there? You're all the way back?" he hoped.

"I think, and all the way back from what?" Rani was confused.

"I'll tell you later, after you've had time to wake up more." He gazed into her eyes. "I love you," he said and then kissed her.

"I love you too," she said as she kissed him back. "Now why am I lying in ICU?"

"You got hurt about a week ago, but you're going to be all right. The nurses told us that you can only have ice chips when you first wake up. Do you need some right now?" he inquired.

"Yeah, hurt how?" She pressed.

"I'll tell you later," He promised and went to get some ice chips for her. One of the nurses checked on Rani while another went to tell Rani's doctor and her loved ones that she was awake now.

"Just how much trouble am I in?" Rani asked her dad as she started to remember what had happened on her own.

Haresh sighed and hugged her. "Right now I'm just so glad that you're awake and came back to us, but if you ever pull something like that again you and I are going to have major problems. I love you, baby." He kissed her forehead.

"I love you, dad," Rani hugged him back.

Gita and the kids had greeted her, and she had also finished the ice chips by the time that Sarah Jane had returned to the hospital and found Jack, Mickey, River Song, and the Doctor preparing to leave. They had also been to see Rani as well.

"Where are you lot going?" Sarah Jane inquired. "I thought you weren't leaving till we were sure that Rani was going to be OK?"

"Yeah you're right," Jack smiled.

"But you're packing up and…" She sighed in relief. "She's fully awake."

"She is," the Doctor smiled at her. "And she's going to be OK."

Sarah Jane hugged him and thanked him for everything he did to help. She thanked all of them before they had left and then she left the waiting room and walked into Rani's ICU room. She gently hugged Rani and kissed her forehead.

"Are you still feeling pretty yucky?" Sarah Jane inquired.

"Not as much since the pain killers have kicked in," Rani answered. "Are you mad at me?"

"I was never really mad at you just a little upset with you for going alone and for not telling me about it," Sarah Jane honestly replied. "Rani, we're a team remember?"

"Sarah Jane, you were very busy at the time and I didn't want to wind up stressing you out more," Rani defended her actions.

"I don't care," Sarah Jane replied and gently made Rani look her in the eye. "You are not ready to take on something that dangerous on your own yet even when you are ready to do so I don't want you taking it on by yourself. I can always rearrange my schedule. Now losing one of my kids is something that I would never be able to handle, and I never want to know what that is like."

"Heard and understood," Rani said. "I'm sorry, Sarah Jane."

Sarah Jane just hugged her again very thankful that Rani got out of it alive. Rani hugged her back.

…

_The End_


End file.
